


Float

by AkaKenma



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Confession, F/M, in canon, team interactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 18:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13129008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkaKenma/pseuds/AkaKenma
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi has never known how to talk to girls. When he sees how easily Hinata Shouyou talks to Yachi Hitoka, he gets the idea to ask his teammate for advice..





	Float

**Author's Note:**

> (I’m so terrible at summaries I apologize)  
> This is a Secret Santa gift for someone on tumblr. I believe they have an ao3 but I didn’t want to tag it because I wasn’t sure.  
> -  
> I really didn’t know where in canon to place this so I’m going to say it’s after the Nekoma and Fukurodani training camp but before any tournaments.  
> I also did away with any honorifics because I didn’t want to deal with how they all refer to each other and how it would change etc.  
> I also apologize for any errors in the volleyball stuff as all my volleyball knowledge comes from, well, Haikyuu.

Yamaguchi watched Hinata talk animatedly with Yachi, flailing arms almost smacking her in the face. How did Hinata talk to her so easily? It wasn’t that she was hard to talk to. She was rather the opposite. Just that she was so cute. So pretty and kind and determined to help. Talking to cute girls wasn’t something Yamaguchi had much experience with. He didn’t want to screw up and embarrass himself. He considered asking Hinata for advice. Hinata seemed to talk to everyone with ease. Well, besides his encounters in the bathroom...  
Kiyoko entered the gym and Yachi ran to greet her. Now was his chance.  
“Hinata, can I ask you something?”  
“Sure! Did you come early to practice your serve?”  
Yamaguchi felt his face getting redder as he tried to force the question out.  
“Howdoyoutalktogirls?”  
“Huh?”  
“How do you..how do you talk to Yachi?” He was going to explode. It just now occurred to him that Hinata was not the person to ask if you wanted an interaction kept secret.  
“Yachi? She’s easy to talk to! She’s really sweet and she helps me and Kageyama study!”  
“She is nice.. Hinata can you please keep this a secret? Between us?”  
“Okay. What is it?”  
“I want to know how to talk to her because..because I kinda like her, okay?” His voice trailed off. Why was he doing this?  
“Ohhhh!!”  
“Shh!” Yamaguchi looked nervously around the room. Kiyoko and Yachi were the only other two present and they were by the doorway.  
“You like Yachi?!” Hinata’s voice turned to a whisper-shout.  
Hearing the words from someone else made him blush even more.  
“Yes, I want to talk to her and I wanted to know if you had any suggestions. You two seem to get along well.”  
“Show her your serve!”  
Maybe Hinata wasn’t a good person to ask. Of course his suggestion would be volleyball related.  
“My serve? Really?”  
“Yachi wants to learn all she can about volleyball! You’re the only one on the team learning it! She’ll think it’s super cool!”  
“Really?” He tried not to sound too hopeful when he said it. The thought of such a cute girl thinking he was cool was..wow.  
“Yeah! Yachi!” Hinata waved her over. “Yamaguchi wants to show you his serve! It’s really cool! It goes like ‘woah-oah-wehw’” He showed the movement of the ball with his hands.  
Yachi looked to Yamaguchi for an actual explanation.  
“It’s supposed to make the ball hard to receive. Because there’s no spin, the ball will move unexpectedly.”  
“Wow!” She pulled a notebook out of her bag. Yamaguchi could see that it was full of volleyball terminology. Cute. She was so eager to learn the game so she could help and cheer them on.  
“What’s it called again?”  
“A jump float serve.”  
“Aah! Kageyamaaaa-!” Hinata took off toward the door, nearly tackling Kageyama as he attempted to enter the gym. The two fell to the ground screaming.  
“It’s a good thing Daichi isn’t here. I don’t think he’d be very happy with all the noise they’re making.”  
Yachi giggled.  
Yamaguchi was glad he could make her laugh. It gave him a sliver of confidence.  
“Anyway! Hinata said you wanted to show me your jump float serve?”  
“Oh, well, only if you want to. Hinata just thought you might–“  
“I’d love to see it!”  
He smiled. “Alright. I’m not an expert but I’ll try my best not to screw up.”  
She tossed him a ball and gave him an encouraging smile as he lined his feet up on the court. He closed his eyes, focusing on the ball in his hands. He had to send it just above the net.  
Yachi watched in amazement as he threw the ball up and jumped. His arm swung forward and made impact. The ball sailed over the net and appeared to be heading out before swerving at the last second and landing in bounds.  
“Woah!! Yamaguchi! That was so cool!”  
He was a bit surprised that he’d made it. Having her there seemed to make him even more nervous. Maybe it was a good kind of nervous though. One that inspired him to try his best.  
“Thanks!” He replied.  
“Do you think someone could receive that?”  
“Uhmm.. I don’t know to be honest. Like I said, I’m not an expert, and I do need to improve. I’d say the main strength of the one I just did is that it fools them into not going after it. The ball appears to be going out so it’s an easy point for them. It swerves at the last second, giving them less time to react. It takes adjusting to.”  
“Oh that makes sense!” She pulled out the notebook again, adding more bullet points. “Thank you for explaining it!”  
“N-no problem!” He blushed again. “It looks like you have a lot of notes in there.”  
“Well, to be honest, I knew practically nothing about volleyball before joining. I figured that, as the possible future manager, I should definitely be familiar with the sport.”  
He nodded. “I know you were nervous about joining the club. That must have been an extra hurdle. Not knowing anything about volleyball, I mean.”  
She shrugged.  
“You know, the team and I really admire all the effort you’re putting in.”  
“Really? Thanks!”  
The thought that he had just complimented a cute girl and she had thanked him was turning his brain to pudding.  
“Oh! It looks like everyone else is arriving!” She ran to greet them before he could respond.  
Daichi looked like he needed another three cups of coffee. Sugawara punched him in the side, saying something Yamaguchi couldn’t hear. Asahi looked afraid to be next.  
“Kiyoko!!!!” Tanaka and Nishinoya took off toward her but were thwarted by Ennoshita. Yamaguchi more than suspected that Kiyoko could kick their butts herself, but then again, they probably wouldn’t mind..  
Hinata had a large bruise on his forearm, probably acquired when he tackled Kageyama. Kageyama was glaring at him, a large stain on his shirt. Yamaguchi guessed it was his milk. Tsukishima gave Yamaguchi a small wave, appearing still immersed in his music.  
Daichi clapped his hands. “Alright! The training camp has given us new skills and techniques to work on before the tournament so let’s get started!”  
The team cheered before beginning laps.  
After they warmed up, Daichi matched them up for three-on-three games. Yamaguchi ended up with Kageyama and Tanaka versus Hinata, Sugawara, and Tsukishima.  
Yamaguchi could see Yachi watching them out of the corner of his eye. He knew it would be unfair for her to cheer for him but he couldn’t help but hope.  
“Yamaguchi! You serve first!” Tanaka called, tossing him the ball.  
He could feel the tension in the air as he walked toward the serving line. Kageyama had the decency not to block the back of his head, but Yamaguchi knew he wanted to. Why did his nerves come now?! He breathed in, out. It was just a practice game. It’s okay to screw up in a practice game. He smiled, seeing Yachi give him a thumbs up. He threw the ball up, running toward the serving line, and jumping. The ball sailed over the net, right at Sugawara. He hadn’t done a jump float but now Suga couldn’t set! That had to count for something. Suga received it easily, sending it to Tsukishima, who fumbled, letting the ball fall to the ground.  
Tanaka cheered, slamming Yamaguchi on the back.  
“Dude, did you do that on purpose? That was great!”  
Yamaguchi shook his head.  
“Hey, you should practice that more! It’ll be harder with a fully rounded team of course, but making it so the setter can’t put the ball up is always great!”  
“T-thanks!” He stuttered.  
“You’re up again, man.”  
“Oh! Yes.”  
He served again, just a regular one this time. It bounced off Hinata’s head, but Suga was able to get it, putting it up for Tsukishima. He hit it but it still seemed half-hearted. Yamaguchi dove to get it, sending the ball toward Kageyama. Tanaka jumped up, ready to spike, but was blocked by Tsukishima. This was to be expected. But it seemed different than Tsukishima’s usual playing, even different than how he had hit the ball moments before. Yamaguchi wondered if the Tokyo captains had had an influence on him.

  
-

  
Yachi watched them play in amazement. It all moved so fast! She didn’t know how they figured out where the ball would go in fractions of seconds. Watching Nishinoya receive blocked spikes was incredible. There was almost no time to react but somehow he’d be there.  
“Once, Nishinoya received a ball with his foot.” Kiyoko said, noticing her watching.  
Yachi looked at her in disbelief.  
“That’s not against the rules?!”  
Kiyoko shook her head. “The ball hadn’t touched the floor and he wasn’t the previous person to touch it.”  
“That’s amazing!!”  
“He’s known for being an incredibly skilled libero.”  
Yachi nodded, turning her attention back to the mini-game.  
Tanaka, Kageyama, and Yamaguchi appeared to be taking advantage of Hinata and Tsukishima’s poor receives. When Sugawara received the ball, he was then unable to set. Yachi felt a bit bad for them but knew learning to properly receive the ball was important. It was the most basic skill of volleyball.  
Tanaka looked tired though. He was performing almost all of his team’s attacks. Yachi couldn’t imagine being so active and alert and jumping that much in such a short period of time. Watching the team practice had given her so much respect for athletes.  
“You know, Hitoka, you’ve really done a fantastic job as a manager-in-training. How you helped the training camp get funded, as well as helping Hinata and Kageyama with exams. I don’t think they would have done as well as they did without you. The team really appreciates what you’ve done. I do as well. I’ve been a bit stressed because it’s my last year here. And I like having another girl to talk to.” Kiyoko smiled.  
Yachi still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that such a beautiful girl would enjoy her company. She had learned that Kiyoko was much more than her good looks though (not that she had ever believed otherwise). She was kind and a bit shy but never afraid to defend Yachi from rival teams that scared her.  
“I enjoy talking to you too! I’m glad I have been helpful to you. I was worried that I’d just be in the way.”  
Kiyoko shook her head and Yachi smiled to herself. Everyone was so kind to her, especially the first year. Joining the volleyball club was definitely the right decision.

  
-

  
Yamaguchi cheered as Kageyama stole a 23rd point for their team with a well timed dump. Unfortunately, his next serve went straight into the net. The ball was now in Hinata’s hands. Yamaguchi had to admit that Hinata’s serving had improved. He hadn’t hit anyone in the head since that one terrifying incident with Kageyama.  
The ball flew up, right above him.  
“Got it!” He directed the ball to Kageyama as best he could. Tanaka was already starting his approach. Yamaguchi could see Sugawara watching Tanaka. There was a three point gap and he seemed determined to close it. He jumped up and the ball slammed back to their side of the court. He gave Tanaka a ‘refreshing’ smile.  
“Two more! We can’t let them catch up!” Yamaguchi made an attempt at motivation. His team members nodded.  
Hinata served again but the ball flew out of bounds.  
“Don’t mind!” Suga reassured him.  
Yamaguchi was up to serve. He took the ball, feeling the weight in his hands. If he could do this now, they would win. Should he try a jump float? This was ridiculous. If he couldn’t stand the pressure of a practice game, how would he handle their next game against Aoba Johsai? A game that actually mattered?  
“Yamaguchi!” He started at the sound of Yachi’s voice, turning to look at her. She was bouncing on her toes. “Nice serve!” He blushed a furious red, giving her a weak smile.  
He faced the court again, lining his feet up, giving himself enough room to jump. He threw the ball up, running and jumping to meet it. It was one of those moments players would describe, where they could see the other side of the court, exactly where they needed to aim. He could see Tsukki’s face; an expression of awe? His hand made impact, sending the ball to the perfect place, right above the net. It was going out, out, in.  
“Yeahhh!” He cheered, landing funny on his ankle, but he didn’t care. He’d done two successful jump floats just this morning! He’d gotten the winning point for his team! Tanaka slammed his back again. He could almost see a hint of a smile on Kageyama’s face. Hinata was jumping with excitement despite his loss.  
“Yamaguchi! You’re getting so good at those!”  
“Thanks!” Maybe becoming a valuable member of the team wasn’t such a far off dream.

  
-

  
Hinata waved Yamaguchi over after practice, shooing Kageyama into the locker room with the rest of the team to change clothes.  
“You looked so cool today! And Yachi was watching you!”  
“She was?”  
“Yeah, she was like ‘woooahhhh!’” He mimicked Yachi’s alleged amazement.  
Yamaguchi let out an embarrassed chuckle. She couldn’t possibly think he was that cool.  
“Hey, she’s over there! Catch her before she leaves!” He pushed Yamaguchi in her direction.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Go!”  
He nodded, jogging to catch her before she headed to class.  
“Yachi, hi.”  
She whipped around, hair flying in her face.  
“Oh hi! You played really well today!”  
“T-Thanks!” Why did her compliments fluster him so much? It had to be so obvious that he liked her.  
“Oh and hey, thanks for what you said during the game. Sometimes I let my nerves get the best of me, and it was helpful.”  
“No problem! I totally understand about nerves.. Your face looked almost white. I figured there was something I could do to help.”  
He smiled. She was so sweet!  
“You know, you seem to come in way early to practice. Sometimes even before Hinata and Kageyama. You seem really dedicated.”  
“Well, yeah. I don’t want to be a benchwarmer for three years. All the other first years are starting players. Kageyama with his toss, Hinata’s spike and jump, Tsukki’s height and block, I want to contribute something. I don’t think I’m an outstanding player. I don’t have super receives like Daichi or a high jump like Hinata. But if I can be the player who they can count on to score points in a pinch, with just a serve, that’d make me really happy.”  
“Tadashi, I really admire how determined and hardworking you are. You inspire me to do my best too.”  
Yamaguchi was so flustered that it didn’t hit him right away that she had used his first name.  
Yachi grabbed the sides of her head. Was it too soon to use first names? Did she weird him out?  
“Aah! I’m sorry–“  
“No, you can call me Tadashi! It’s okay...Hitoka.” He added, shyly.  
“O-okay!”  
Now was his chance. All he had to do was ask.  
“Would you..would you want to maybe..go on a date? With me? I know we don’t even know each other that well so I totally understand if you don’t want-”  
“I would like that!” She interrupted.  
Yachi Hitoka was agreeing to go on a date with him!! He felt ready to pass out.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, I’d love to get to know you better!”  
He grinned shakily.  
“Do you like cakes? I know a great pastry shop!”  
“That sounds good!”  
“Okay! So when are you free?” He was surprised she couldn’t see his shaking legs. She looked just as, if not more, nervous than him though.  
“Today after school would be okay! My mom is working late tonight!”  
“Okay, cool! I’ve got my phone in my locker, I can give you my number..”  
“Oh, I can write mine down for you. I’ve got to get to class soon.”  
“Oh, sorry..”  
“No it’s alright! Here,” she pulled out her volleyball notebook and tore out a page, scribbling her phone number down “there’s my number!”  
His hands were shaking. Yachi Hitoka was giving him her phone number!  
“I’ll text you when I get my phone.”  
“Alright! I’ll meet you outside after class?”  
“Yeah, sounds good!”  
“Okay. I have to get going now, but I’ll see you soon, Tadashi!” Yachi waved, leaving the gym in a half jog.  
He grabbed the sides of his face, feeling the heat of his blush radiating off of them. His smile was so wide it almost hurt.  
“What happened to you?” Tsukishima’s voice sounded more curious than judgemental, how people who didn’t know him would take it.  
“Oh nothing! I’m just happy!”  
“Did you talk to Yachi?”  
“What?”  
Tsukishima smirked. “It’s so obvious you like her.” After seeing Yamaguchi’s face, he added “I don’t think anyone else knows, don’t worry about it. The third years wouldn’t care and everyone else is too dumb..” The last part was under his breath. Yamaguchi agreed that some of his teammates were lacking in the intelligence department, though he wasn’t vocal about it like Tsukishima, only laughing at his friend’s jokes.  
“I’ll see you at lunch.” Tsukishima put on his headphones and headed off to class, leaving Yamaguchi with only Nishinoya and Tanaka.  
“Hey Yamaguchi! Up for some more practice after classes? Me and Tanaka are gonna do some serves and receiving!”  
“Ah, sorry, I can’t today. I’m meeting Yachi after school.”  
Nishinoya gasped audibly.  
“You’re meeting Yachi?! Like a date?!”  
Yamaguchi flailed his arms, trying to shush Noya, but it was too late.  
“Yamaguchi has a date?!” Tanaka wailed in anguish. “Before me?! I can’t believe this!!”  
Nishinoya patted his back.  
“Be strong, Ryuu..”  
“It’s not a date!” Yamaguchi knew they wouldn’t be convinced.  
“Ryuu, he’s meeting Yachi!”  
Tanaka screamed again.  
“You got a date with our cute manager?! Please!! Please, Yamaguchi, teach me to talk to girls!!” He was on his knees.  
Yamaguchi could feel the heat from the blush on his face.  
“I can try..” He didn’t think he could.  
“Tadashi, you’re a hero!!” Nishinoya grabbed his arm. Tanaka nodded.  
“Listen, guys, I really need to go now. I don’t want to be late.”  
“Alright man. Good job today, by the way.” Tanaka got off the ground.  
“Thanks.”  
He hurried toward the door before they could try to rope him into more practice or lessons on talking to girls. He was still shocked that his interactions with Yachi had been successful. He would have to thank Hinata, whose advice had actually been very helpful. Maybe he’d have to help Hinata out the next time he was struggling with an exam.  
Yamaguchi felt like his feet were floating as he walked down the hall, Yachi’s number in his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m greatful for the opportunity to write this as it really brought me out of my comfort zone (that comfort zone being Kenma and Akaashi) and I think it helped me improve my writing. I was really worried about characterization and dynamics between characters but I hope this was satisfactory.


End file.
